New York City Is Ferret-Free—For Now

Four members of City Board of Health abstain from vote

The New York City Board of Health rejected a bid Tuesday to permit pet ferrets, citing fears that they pose a danger to unattended babies and that they could escape and overtake rundown properties.

The proposal was sought by animal activists and supported by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, which said it found insufficient evidence to show that the slinky mammals pose a public-health threat.